Wearing eyewear for an extended period of time is often uncomfortable. One reason for this discomfort is because of the rigidity of the materials out of which eyewear is made, such as plastic, metal, or polycarbonate nylon. In addition, this rigidity decreases the ability of the eyewear to change shape in order to better fit a user's face. Improved fit and comfort are especially important in recreational or constructional activities. These activities may include a variety of sports activities such as mountain biking and construction tasks such as running a jack-hammer.
Those skilled in the art of making eyewear have sought to improve the fit and shock absorbing qualities of eyewear. One manner in which they have done so is by using a flexible rubber-like material on certain parts of the eyewear frame. The flexible rubber-like material can have moisture absorbing qualities and also improve the fit and shock absorbing abilities of the eyewear. For instance, by placing a flexible rubber-like material over portions of the temple portion of an eyewear, and in using that flexible rubber-like material as a nose pad, the eyewear is not as slippery and stays on a user's face in an improved manner. While such use has improved the fit and gripping ability of eyewear, because this flexible material is placed over the rigid skeleton of the temples, the improvements in terms of flexibility, comfort, fit, and shock absorption have been limited. For example, although flexible rubber-like material placed over the rigid temple softens the touch of the plastic or rigid temple, the underlying plastic skeleton restricts the flexible rubber-like material from forming around a user's ear. Thus, despite efforts to improve the quality and flexible nature of eyewear, improvements are still needed.